Saturday, September 14th, 10am to 4pm
On Saturday, September 14th, we celebrated the Edward Hain Centre’s first birthday with an Open Day. With free admission, the day began at 10am, and ended at 4pm. The sun appeared in all its September glory to shine down on our celebration; flow of foot traffic was nonstop; and with all that was on offer, from the first cup of tea to the final fall of the gavel on the amazing items being auctioned, we raised over £3,000!
Events of the day
Key to any good party are delicious refreshments. Our yummy treats were kindly donated by several local vendors, starting with cakes and biscuits, an awesome buffet lunch fit for the poshest tables for a mere £7, and cream teas. People ate nonstop – and no wonder! – which contributed greatly to our kitty for the day.




Aside from the wonderful culinary spread, visitors purchased books, bears and bottles (from one of the generously supplied raffles), and went on guided tours of the Centre with our manager, Sharron Goldingay, seeing both newly renovated areas, and not-yet renovated. Also on display were our Vision Boards, showing items we need at the Centre (for which donation buckets were generously filled), as well as an exhibition of St. Ives Videos and before/after photos.



Live music was supplied by local acts Petty Criminals and Spaven Mor.


Generous Donors
The high spot of the day was an auction of incredible items donated by local businesses and individuals. Ranging from nights St. Ives’s primo hotels; vouchers for local restaurants; a set of four books signed and donated by their author, Charles Spencer; and other wonderful high-end items, they were skillfully auctioned by the incomparable Phil Barnett, whose long association with the theatrical life was not wasted (as you can see from his fabulous suit.)
The day was capped by a heartfelt speech by the Centre trustees’ Chair, Lynne Isaacs.
We are very grateful for the generosity of all who donated items: [List and tag here] and in particular to one of the event’s organisers, Heather Britten, who procured all the food, many raffle and sale items, and all of the auction items. Her support was invaluable.
We are also grateful to the Friends of the Edward Hain Centre, who supplied items for the raffle. Thank you all. We had a lot to celebrate that day – but, as the song goes, the best is yet to come, and we are looking forward to our second year!
Please note: this post is in the process of being revised, with more photos and info to be added. Please check back at the end of January for the full updates! Thank you.